


Everything Has Changed

by yourfrendlyneighborhoodfangirl



Series: Destiel [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Awkward Castiel (Supernatural), Bullying, Destiel - Freeform, Female Lucifer (Supernatural), Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Dean Winchester, Protective Lucifer (Supernatural), Socially Awkward Castiel (Supernatural), Underage Smoking, Young Castiel (Supernatural), Young Castiel/Young Dean Winchester, Young Dean Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:14:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27019378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourfrendlyneighborhoodfangirl/pseuds/yourfrendlyneighborhoodfangirl
Summary: Castiel is an awkward ten year old with no friends with Dean Winchester moves to town. The two become fast friends, weathering bullies, their families, and school together. Though their time together is short, it is oh so sweet.ORI love the song Everything Has Changed, and I LOVE the music video. This is a Destiel fic loosely based off the song and video.
Relationships: Castiel & Gabriel (Supernatural), Castiel & Lucifer (Supernatural), Castiel & Michael (Supernatural), Castiel/Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester
Series: Destiel [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1958527
Comments: 9
Kudos: 44





	1. Part 1: I Think I Have A Best Friend

**Author's Note:**

> I love Ed Sheeran and I love Taylor Swift, so naturally I LOVE this song. And I LOVE the music video- go watch it if you haven't (though you don't need to to read the fic, I recommend it)! I was listening to the song while writing another Destiel fic and I realized that the lyrics are perfect! Then I remembered the music video and how fucking cute it is, and I knew I had to write a fic with young Dean and Cas.
> 
> Thanks for listening to me ramble about how AMAZING this song and music video is! Anyway, on with the fic!

"And all I've seen

Since eighteen hours ago

Is green eyes and freckles and your smile

In the back of my mind making me feel like

I just wanna know you better"

 **_Everything Has Changed_ ** **, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran**

  
  


“Please, Luci!” Castiel begged. “Please don’t make me go!” He clung to his older sister as she attempted to pull him off. 

“Hurry up, Luci,” Michael said from behind the wheel of the car. “I’m going to be late.” They were in the parking lot of the elementary school, dropping Cas off for school. Lucifer had gotten out to walk the little boy in, when he had suddenly refused to move.

“Bye ‘late’ you mean ‘less than half an hour early’,” Lucifer shot back, but she continued to detach her little brother’s fingers from her leg, one by one. Her attempts were futile, because as soon as she had pried one hand off it clamped around her again. “Damnit, Cas! Let go!” 

“Please!” Cas pleaded. “I don’t want to go to school!” 

“Just let go, Cas!” Gabriel rolled his eyes, not looking up from his cell phone. Cas looked up at his sister with big, pleading eyes and she sighed.

“Listen, Cas,” she said. “Just let go of me. I won’t make you do yet, I promise.” She must have looked trustworthy enough, because Cas sniffled and cautiously let go of her. Luci knelt down to his level and took his hands.

“Can you tell me why you don’t want to go to school?” She asked him. “Is it too hard? Are the other kids mean to you?”

Cas stuck out his lip in a pout. “Yes. A little. But they mostly ignore me.”

Lucifer leaned in to hug him. “Kids can be mean. But would you really rather be at home with Mom all day? By yourself?”

“No!” Cas said quickly. “I just want to be with you guys…” he sniffled like he was about to cry.

“We have to go to school too, Cassie.” Luci gave her little brother a hug. “Just ignore the other kids who make fun of you. You’ll make friends eventually.”

Cas nodded, but he still looked uncertain. 

“If you skip school, Mom and Dad will be mad,” Gabe called unhelpfully.

“And if you make us late they’ll be mad, too,” Michael added irritably. Cas looked up fearfully, nodded, and scurried off into school.

Lucifer watched him go. “That was mean,” she said to her brothers once she was back in the car.

“He was taking forever,” Michael said crossly. 

“I was telling the truth,” Gabriel protested. “Besides, you know Mom and Dad wouldn’t have been as patient.”

Luci sighed and kicked her feet up on the dashboard, ignoring Michael’s glare. “I know.” She took out the tube of lipstick their parents would never allow her to wear and applied it to her lips. “Don’t you dare snitch,” she said.

“One of these days you’re going to get caught,” Michael said, glancing over at her. “And I’m not going to save you. It’s better if you just listen. Once you move out you can do whatever you want.”

“Easy for you to say,” Luci scoffed. “You only have to wait another year. I’m not going three years without wearing makeup, smoking, cussing, or seeing my goddamn girlfriend.”

Michael rolled his eyes. “Did you at least study for your test today?”

“Of course,” she said. “I may be rebellious, but I’m not suicidal.”

* * *

  
  


Cas dragged his feet as he walked the hallways to his classroom, trying to take as long as possible so he would get there just as the bell rang. He heard laughter behind him and automatically dropped his head so whoever it was wouldn’t see him. His parents were always telling him to keep his head up and have better posture, but this way he wasn’t as easily noticed. 

Luckily no one bugged him today, and he slipped into his seat unnoticed just as class started. He relaxed, knowing that first they would do math. That meant that, for at least 30 minutes, he could just sit in his seat and focus on the teacher. He didn’t have to worry about interacting with his classmates for being teased. Though he didn’t enjoy math as much as science, he was still good at it.

“Good morning, class!” His teacher said. “I’m going to pass back your math tests from last week, but first, I have an announcement. Tomorrow...” Cas didn’t hear the rest of what the teacher was saying as he mindlessly started chewing on his nails. He hadn’t been able to concentrate during that test, as one of the other boys had been flicking tiny balls of paper at the back of his head. If he had gotten anything less than perfect, his parents wouldn’t be happy.

When the teacher set the test on his desk, he breathed a sigh of relief. 100%. “Nice job, Castiel!” His teacher said. “You got the highest score in the class!” He sank lower in his chair, the tips of his ears burning.

“You’re so smart, Cassie,” Tony mocked from next to Cas. He snatched Cas’s test from the desk. “A perfect score?” he asked, faking shock. “Cassie, that’s amazing! I wish I was as smart as you!”

The teacher frowned at him. “Give Castiel his paper back, Tony.”

“I’m _so_ sorry, Cassie,” Tony said, smirking at Cas. He tossed the paper back to him, purposely crumpling it. Cas listened to the rest of the class snickering and tried to disappear.

“Ignore them, ignore them.” He repeated Luci’s words over and over. 

The rest of the morning passed uneventfully. Finally, it was time for recess, and then lunch. Cas followed the rest of the class outside to the playground and found his usual spot under a tree. He usually read a book at recess, as he had no friends.

“Whatcha doin, Cassie?” Tony’s voice floated over. Great. Usually, the boys left him alone at recess, as they only had 25 minutes, but today they must have been bored.

“Cassie,” said Drew, Tony’s best friend. “Why aren’t you playing hopscotch with the other girls?” The rest of the boys laughed. Cas looked down at the book resolutely, repeating _Ignore them, ignore them, ignore them_.

Luckily, the boys quickly got bored and found another distraction in the form of the new kid, who’d only been here for about a week. Cas didn’t know much about him, only that his name was Dean and that he fit right in with the other boys. Though he never teased Cas, he had a leather jacket and a smile that made all the girls giggle. Combine that with his sarcasm and quick wit, and he was instantly popular. 

Cas got so lost in his book that he jumped when the bell rang for lunch. He strolled unhurriedly inside. He already knew that he would sit alone, with only his book for company. Grabbing his lunch box, with the colorful stickers he had tried to scratch off after being teased for being ‘baby-ish’, he walked to the lunch room. He was making his way to his usual table when-

Drew shoved him-not enough to make him fall to the ground, but enough that he stumbled- and as Cas fell, Tony ripped his lunch box from his hands.

“G-give it b-back,” Cas stuttered. Dang it, he always stuttered when he was nervous and he hated it.

“What was that?” Tony asked meanly, tossing the lunch box to Drew.

“Give it back!” Cas said a little louder, trying to grab his lunch box from Drew, but Drew threw it back to Tony.

Tony caught it and not-so-accidentally flipped the latch open, dumping the contents of Cas’s lunch on the floor. “Oops,” he smirked. Drew high-fived him and they walked away, laughing.

Cas knelt down in the soppy mess that was his lunch and tried not to cry. Luci had told him to ignore them, but that didn’t do anything. Cas sniffled and tears gathered in his eyes, but he angrily brushed them away. If he cried, it would only make the teasing worse. Keeping his eyes down, he hurried to his normal table. He opened his book, intending to act like it hadn’t bothered him, but he couldn’t concentrate. Finally he shut the book and laid his head in his arms.

A few minutes later, he heard someone sit down across from him and he froze. He knew he should lift his head up, to prepare for more teasing, but he couldn’t make himself move.

“Would you like some of my lunch?” he heard an unfamiliar voice ask.

Slowly Cas lifted his head, staring at the new arrival. It was Dean.

“What?” Cas asked. He was surprised, and then suspicious. 

“Would you like some of my lunch?” Dean asked again.

“G-go away,” Cas said, tears springing to his eyes again. Ruining his lunch was bad enough, but sending the new kid to make fun of him? Would the cruelty never end?’

“Are you sure? You look hungry,” Dean said.

Cas was suddenly angry. “Stop! Just st-stop! I’m t-t-tired of you walking all over me! You already… you already… you ruined my lunch and-and just stop!” He burst out.

Dean stared at him and blinked. “You think I’m here to make fun of you?’

“Are-aren’t you?” 

“Listen, I saw what those boys have been doing to you. I thought you’d want something to eat,” Dean said. He pulled a sandwich out of his bag and ripped it in half, handing Cas the larger piece.

Cas took it and cautiously took a bite. “Thanks,” he muttered. He noticed that Dean didn’t seem to have any food other than the sandwich, but decided not to comment on it. He didn’t want to offend the only ally he had.

Instead, he studied Dean across the table. His messy hair was a dirty blonde color, and it only got messier as he ran his fingers through it. He had deep green eyes and a light scattering of freckles across his face. When Cas had seen him with the other boys his posture was always relaxed, like he didn’t care. Now he was sitting more straight up, more attentive, and that gave Cas a warm feeling.

He must had been staring too long, because Dean caught his gaze. “Are we going to have a conversation, or are you just going to stare at me?” he asked, staring Cas in the eye.

Cas flushed and looked down. “Sor..sorry. Sorry.” He said. Then he turned even redder. He was stuttering a lot around Dean. 

“So, I’m Dean, if you didn’t know,” he ignored Cas’s embarrassment, which Cas appreciated. 

“I know,” Cas said. If it was possible to get more embarrassed, he did. Why couldn’t he say anything right?

“Right,” Dean said. “And you’re Castiel.”

“You can call me Cas,” Cas said. “It’s easier than Castiel.”

“Why’d your parents name you that?” Dean asked. 

Cas shrugged. “My siblings all have snotty names too- Michael, Lucifer, and Gabriel. If you’d met my parents, you’d understand.”

“How old are your siblings?” Dean asked, actually looking interested.

“They’re all older. Michael is 17, Luci is 15, and Gabe is 13,” Cas told him. 

“I have one younger brother. Sammy,” Dean smiled. Cas, though lacking in social skills, could tell that Dean loved his brother. 

“Tell me more about him.”

Dean got a faraway look in his eyes. “He’s six, but he’s practically smarter than me. He’s already really good at reading- he’s in first grade here. And his vocabulary, well, he never shuts up.” He laughed.

“You guys are close?” Cas guessed.

“Yeah. I basically raise the kid. My dad’s... out a lot. We travel a lot for his… work.” Dean explained. He shook his head, as if clearing it out of his mind. “Anyway, tell me more about your family.”

For what was quite possible the first time in his life, Cas didn’t hesitate before speaking. He didn’t know why, but he felt like he could trust Dean. “Well my parents are very religious and strict… I think stricter than most other people’s. I don’t know, I don’t have any friends. They’re very religious, want us to get good grades and play sports and be… perfect.” Cas explained.

“Wow. That’s heavy,” Dean said.

Cas shrugged. “You get used to it. Having siblings helps. Michael is the oldest. He does track and plays basketball and soccer, and he studies really hard. He’s more serious. He does everything my parents say, but he usually doesn’t rat on the rest of us if we don’t.”

My sister, Luci, is the opposite. She rebels as much as possible. She wears makeup and says bad words and smokes and has a-” Cas whispered the next word as if it was a secret. “-girlfriend. Her name is Anna, she’s really nice. Luci gets away with a lot because she’s sneaky and she still gets good grades and plays sports and stuff. She’s the best.” He smiled.

“Gabe is a _teenager_ and wants nothing to do with me. He spends most of his time out of the house, to get away from everything. He has a lot of friends, and he plays football and he _loves_ candy. He gets annoyed with me a lot, but sometimes he lets me come with him and his friends and they play video games and basketball at the park.”

Then there’s me,” Cas finished. He glanced up and started a little, as if he had forgotten Dean was there. 

“Your siblings sound cool,” Dean said. He was smiling slightly at Cas. “Sometimes I wish I had an older brother, but I love Sammy.”

“Sorry, I didn’t let you talk,” Cas said quickly. 

“It’s cool,” Dean said. “It seemed like you needed someone to talk to. And I need someone to tell me to shut up.”

Cas smiled at him, the first real smile Dean had seen on him. “I can do that,” he said, his glasses crooked on his face.

Dean returned his grin. “Looks like I just made my first friend here.”

“First friend? What about all those guys?” Cas asked, confused.

“They weren’t really my friends. They just like me ‘cause I’m new. When they found out I don’t play any sports, or know about any video games or sports teams, they didn’t care about me.”

“Oh,” Cas said thoughtfully. “Well, you’re my first friend here too.”

* * *

For the rest of the day, Cas was able to ignore the taunts of the other boys. Though he didn’t sit by Dean in class, he basked in the leftover happiness from lunch. Finally, it was almost the end of the day. Only one obstacle left until freedom- silent reading. Cas loved silent reading; it was his favorite part of the day. He grabbed his book and headed over to plop on his favorite spot on a pillow in the corner.

He had just opened his book when Dean sat next to him. “Hi,” he said. 

Cas glanced at him over the book. “Hello.” He went back to reading.

Not one minute later, Dean was bouncing his leg and tapping his fingers. “Whatcha reading?” he asked Cas. 

“A book,” Cas said, not wanting to engage in a conversation.

Dean seemed to get the memo, and went back to his book. It wasn’t long, though, until he was back to bouncing. “Cas-”

Cas shut his book and glared at Dean. “I’m trying to read! It’s _silent reading_!” He spoke a little too loud, as the teacher glanced over at them.

“Castiel, I’m surprised at you. Keep your voice down,” she scolded.

“Yes, ma’am,” Cas muttered, shooting another glare at Dean.

“Sorry,” Dean whispered.

Cas sighed again. He sighed way too much for a ten year old, in Dean’s opinion. “What are you reading?”

“ _The Homework Machine_ ,” Dean said. “It’s not a bad book, I just can’t focus. There’s just so many words, and they’re so tiny.” 

“What if I read it to you?” Cas asked, surprising himself.

“Really?” Dean asked. “You don’t want to read your own book?”

Cas glanced longingly at the book, then turned back to his friend. His _friend_. “I don’t mind,” he said. He picked up Dean’s book and opened to the first page. Then he started to read. Dean, to his credit, was an attentive listener. Cas was surprised to find that, though he had already read the book, he was interested in the story and Dean’s reaction to it. The time flew by, and soon it was time to go home. Cas carefully marked their spot with the bookmark and handed the book to Dean.

“You should probably keep it,” Dean said. “I might forget it, or ruin it, or something.”

Cas carefully put the book in his backpack. This was one book, he swore, that he would not let the other boys ruin.

They walked out of the school together, and for once Cas walked slowly. For once, he didn’t want the day to end. Finally, they stood just inside the doors.

“I have to go get Sammy,” Dean said, but he didn’t move.

“My siblings are probably waiting,” Cas agreed, but he also stayed rooted to the spot. They stood in silence.

“Well, bye Cas,” Dean finally said.

“Bye, Dean.” Cas hesitated. “Thanks… thanks for being my first friend.”

Dean smiled at that. “I’m glad to be.” Cas grinned back at him, then turned and ran out of the building.

When he climbed into Michael’s car, he was still grinning.

“I guess your day wasn’t so awful after all,” Michael said. “I told you all that fussing was for nothing.” Luci smacked him, then turned to look at Cas.

“What made you so happy?” she asked, smiling. She was happy that Cas had finally had a good day at school.

Cas looked out the window as they pulled out the parking lot, but he didn’t see the houses and trees. Instead he saw a freckled face smiling back at him, green eyes alight. “I think,” Cas said. “I think I have a best friend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo...?
> 
> As you can see, I love sibling relationships (probably because I have a shit ton of siblings). And I've read enough fics where Cas's siblings don't accept him and go along with his parents. So here's one where the siblings are united and together and it's so fucking cute!
> 
> I suddenly decided to make Lucifer a girl, and I am so glad I did! Luci is a badass lesbian queen!
> 
> One final note: please don't spoil anything in any comments. Not just the new season, because I'm literally only on season 5.


	2. Part 2: What Else Are Friends For?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just some more fluff that no one asked for :D

All I knew

This morning when I woke

Is I know something now

Know something now I didn't before

**_Everything Has Changed,_ ** **Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran**

Cas opened his eyes, blinking at the light streaming in from the window. Glancing at the clock, he realized his alarm for school wouldn’t go off for another 10 minutes. He was actually excited to go to school today… why was he excited? There was something to look forward to…

He shot up and grinned. Dean.

Cas rushed through his morning routine, eager to get to school. He moved so quickly that he was ready and waiting by the car long before his siblings, even Michael, who always wanted to get to school early.

“Geez,” Gabe remarked as he  _ finally _ climbed into the car. “Who is this kid, and what have you done to my brother?”

Cas bounced in his seat impatiently as Gabriel s-l-o-w-l-y started the car and backed out of the driveway. “I’m just happy,” he said defensively.

“Exactly,” Gabe said, pulling out his phone and sticking yet another lollipop in his mouth.

“Seriously, Cassie, what’s up?” Luci asked. “Yesterday you were begging not to go to school.”

“Not that we don’t like that you’re happy,” Michael added.

“Though it is a bit annoying,” Gabe added.

“A bit,” Michael agreed.

“Anyway,” Luci interjected, getting back on topic. “What is it?”

“I told you yesterday,” Cas explained. “I made a new friend. His name is Dean, and he’s my best friend.”

“Tell us more about this mysterious Dean,” Luci prodded. “No offense, Cas, but you’re awful at making friends… and, well…”

“She’s wondering what he’s like, if he’s weird or desperate enough to like you,” Gabe said.

“I was going to say it in a much kinder way, but yes, essentially,” Luci said, glaring at her brother.

“He’s not weird!” Cas protested. “He’s just nice.”

The siblings all exchanged glances. “As long as you’re happy, Cassie.” Luci said.

“Great,” Cas said. “Oh look, we’re here! Bye guys, see you later!” He hopped out of the car, slammed the door shut, and dashed into the school.

His brothers and sister all looked at each other, Michael with disbelief, Luci with pleasure, and Gabe with shock. Who, exactly, was Dean?

  
  
  


Cas hurried into the school building excitedly. He couldn’t wait to see his new friend. He wondered what Dean liked to watch on TV, if Dean would read with him at recess, what Dean did last night. But when Cas walked into his classroom, his smile drooped. Dean was not in his seat.

_ Oh, well, _ Cas thought.  _ He must get to school later than I do. I  _ am  _ pretty early today _ . He decided to take out his book and read while he waited. After a few sentences, though, he put it down. He couldn’t focus; he was too excited. Distractedly, he drummed his fingers on his desk, watching the clock. Only 7 minutes until school started. Where was Dean? Five minutes… three… only two more minutes.... 

Just as Cas was starting to worry- what if he was sick? What if he had transferred schools? What if he just didn’t want to see Cas?- Dean slipped into the classroom with only seconds left until the bell. 

As he walked to his seat in the back of the class, Cas caught his eye and grinned. When Dean gave him a weak smile in return, Cas finally noticed that his friend didn’t look so good. He had dark purple bags under his eyes, like he hadn’t gotten enough sleep. His hair and rumpled clothing, the same clothes from the day before, were disheveled. His shoulders were slumped, and overall he seemed exhausted.

  
  


Cas didn’t have much time to wonder about what happened to his friend, as the teacher called the class to attention. Soon, he forgot about Dean as he was distracted by math and english. 

“Since you’ve been so well behaved these past few weeks,” the teacher announced. “And because the weather is so nice, I thought that we could go outside for an extra recess this morning.” The class cheered. Their teacher led them outside, and Cas grabbed his book from his backpack. Then he stopped, grabbed  _ The Homework Machine _ , and followed the rest of the fifth graders outside.

He caught up with Dean fairly quickly, as the other boy was stumbling along slowly. 

“Are you alright?” Cas asked him.

“Yeah, yeah, m’fine,” Dean mumbled. “Just t-” he yawned. “Tired.”

“Well, then, want to read with me?” Cas asked, holding up the book.

Dean smiled at Cas, and Cas’s heart twisted happily. “Yeah, that sounds g-great,” Dean said as he suppressed another yawn.

Cas led Dean over to his favorite reading spot, under a tree. Cas sat down, and Dean practically collapsed in the grass next to him. They sat, shoulder to shoulder, as Cas opened the book and began to read where they had left off.

Cas had not even been reading for five minutes when he felt Dean’s head slump onto his shoulder. He stiffened, then glanced down at his friend. Dean was sound asleep. Cas smiled down at him and gently marked their place in the book before setting it down. Then he picked up his own book and started to read as Dean snored onto his shoulder.

When their teacher called twenty minutes later, Cas gently shook the other boy. “Dean?” he whispered. “Dean?”

Dean’s eyelashes fluttered open. “Wha..?” He had a small trickle of drool leaking from the corner of his mouth.

“Time to go in,” Cas said softly, nudging Dean.

“Oh,” Dean said, then looked over at Cas. “Sorry for falling asleep on you. It wasn’t the book, or you, I promise, it’s just-”

“It’s ok,” Cas said, smiling at his friend.

“Thanks, Cas,” Dean relaxed, smiling easily back. “I had a rough night, and… thanks.” They stared at each other for a while, until a shout from their teacher broke the spell. 

Dean glanced at Cas. “Race you?”

Cas grinned back. “You’re on!” Both boys took off toward the school, laughing.

* * *

The rest of the morning flew by, and soon it was time for lunch and ‘second’ recess. Cas fell into step with Dean easily, as if they had been friends for a year instead of a day.

“Hey, Cassie!” Tony called. “Got any lunch for me today?” Cas flushed and turned away from him, but Dean had no such thoughts.

“Shut up, Tony,” Dean called back, narrowing his eyes.

“Oh,” Tony said, faking surprise. “I’m sorry,  _ Dean _ , I didn’t know Cassie was your girlfriend.” The other boys snickered.

Dean’s hands clenched into fists. Cas gently grabbed his arm and pulled him toward their table. “Leave it,” he muttered.

“How long have they been doing that to you?” Dean asked, still looking angry.

Cas shrugged. “I don’t know. A while. But it’s fine. My sister says to ignore them, and they’ll give up eventually.” He snapped open his lunch box.

“Luci?” Dean asked, turning his attention away from the bullies and fully to Cas.

“Yeah,” Cas said, pleased that Dean had remembered. “She-” he paused. “Where’s your lunch?”

Now it was Dean’s turn to blush. “I- I was running late and my brother, and we didn’t have much anyway, but it’s ok, I’m not hungry,” he rambled.

“Here,” Cas said, tearing his sandwich in half as Dean had done yesterday. He also opened his bag of goldfish and put it where they both could reach.

“No, it’s ok,” Dean started to protest.

“You gave me some of yours yesterday,” Cas said, still holding out the sandwich. “It’s my turn now. Besides, what else are friends for?”

* * *

After lunch it was time for recess again. Having napped earlier, Dean was feeling more energized this time. Cas went to grab his book, but Dean stopped him.

“You’re not going to read again, are you?” he asked incredulously.

“What else would I do?” Cas asked, confused.

“Have you  _ ever  _ played on the playground?” Dean asked.

“Well… no….” Cas admitted.

Dean’s green eyes twinkled with excitement. “Well, it’s about time you did.” He grinned as they walked out of the building. “Follow me, if you can keep up.” And with that, he took off across the field toward the playground.

Cas hesitated, glancing toward his tree, then followed. Dean led him onto the wood chip surface, climbing nimbly up a rope ladder onto the play structure. Cas followed, fumbling a bit as he went. Dean raced across a bouncing bridge and then flung himself onto a slide with no hesitation, hurtling down. They darted across the playground, dodging kids and tumbling down slides and climbing up ladders of various materials. Finally, Dean led them off the playground and back onto the grass. He skidded to a halt in front of a pair of swings, with one lone girl swinging.

Cas stumbled next to Dean, breathing hard. He looked at his friend, and as soon as they made eye contact they burst into laughter. As they were already short on breath, this led to both of them keeled over, gasping for air.

“I... _ gasp _ … told... _ wheeze _ ...you the... _ gasp _ … playground was... _ gasp _ ...fun,” Dean panted.

Cas laughed again. “I... _ wheeze _ ...believe you.”

Dean caught his breath and collapsed onto the open swing. “C’mon,” he said. Cas gestured toward the girl on the other swing, her red braids flying behind her.  _ Ask _ , Dean mouthed, and Cas furiously shook his head. “Excuse me,” Dean turned to the girl. “Can my friend use that swing?”

The red-headed girl narrowed her eyes at Cas appraisingly, and he squirmed under her gaze. Then she shrugged. “Sure.” She hopped off the swing and dashed off toward the monkey bars.

“See?” Dean said. “It’s not that hard.”

Cas didn’t answer, but instead kicked off from the ground as hard as he could. Dean followed suit. They pumped furiously, and soon they were flying through the air.

“Isn’t this better than reading a book?” Dean called over to Cas.

He laughed. “Mmmm… it’s close!” he responded teasingly. Dean tried to glare at him, but ended up grinning instead. They swung higher and higher, and Cas imagined that if they let go, they would soar away.

“Want to jump off?” Dean shouted a bit later.

“Ok!” Cas shouted back, feeling that he was ready for anything today. He watched as Dean gave one last pump and arced into the air. Then, as he was at the peak, he let go of the swing and fell to the ground. He seemed to freeze in midair and fall in slow motion, before landing expertly on his feet.

“Your turn!” Dean said, turning to Cas. Cas took a deep breath and swung forward. He raced higher, almost to the top, until finally it was time…

He clung tighter to the swing, arcing back down.  _ Too high _ , he thought. Dean seemed to read his mind. “You can swing a little lower,” he suggested. Cas complied, letting the swing slow down until he was closer to the ground. When he finally felt that he was close enough to the ground that he wouldn’t break anything if he messed this up badly, he took a deep breath. When the swing reached its highest point, he let go.

Just like it had been as he watched Dean, he seemed to freeze as he soared forward. Then he crumpled to the ground. Unlike Dean, he did not land gracefully on his feet. Instead, his knees buckled and he collapsed.

“Fun, right?” Dean asked eagerly, his face coming into view above Cas.

Cas made no move to get up, the wind having been knocked out of him. “Yeah,” he said hesitantly, blood pumping through his veins. It was...exhilarating. Exciting. The same feeling he had that morning when he was eager to get to school and see Dean. “Yeah!” he said, more enthusiastically.

Dean chuckled, then flopped to the ground beside Cas so that their heads were close together. They laid together in companionable silence.

“Look,” Dean said, pointing to the sky. “That cloud looks like a truck.” Then he blushed. “Sam likes to look for shapes in the clouds. Now I just notice them automatically.”

“Gabe and I used to do that when we were kids,” Cas said, examining the sky. “Look at that one; it’s a dog.”

“No,” Dean objected. “It’s obviously an elephant.”

“Dog,” Cas argued.

“It’s kind of ugly,” Dean said. “Maybe it’s Tony.” Cas laughed, not just at Dean’s joke, but at the joy of having a friend. They lay together, pointing out clouds, and Cas thought that he had never felt happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Readers commenting on my other story: Can't wait for another update! :)  
> Me: Yeah, I'll write another in a few days.  
> One person: Leaves kudos on this story.  
> Me: You want more chapters? I'll give you more chapters!!
> 
> The amount of time it took me to stop procrastinating and write this is concerning, but I thoroughly enjoy brainstorming and writing this story! Now I NEED to update my other one!!!


	3. Part 3: Always A Disappointment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let the angst begin!

“All I know is we said, "Hello"

So dust off your highest hopes

All I know is pouring rain

And everything has changed”

**_Everything Has Changed,_ ** **Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran**

Gym class was Castiel’s least favorite part of the day.

When Cas first entered school, the gym teacher had high hopes for him. After all, he came from a very athletic family. His siblings all played sports, and they were good at it. However, the teacher learned very quickly that Cas was  _ definitely  _ not like his siblings. He was uncoordinated and awkward, and to top it off blind as a bat. He couldn’t catch a ball, couldn’t swing a racket, couldn’t throw straight. He was as unathletic as you can get.

Nevermind that he could run faster than most of the class. None of them could see past his fumbling.

They were playing kickball today, which Cas didn’t hate as much as the other sports. Their class was large, so he didn’t have to kick very often, and when fielding he just let the other kids jump in front of him. They didn’t expect anything from him, and so he was free to stand around thinking. 

Cas was the last one picked for a team, which was nothing new. Luckily, he ended up on the same team as Dean, and Dean slapped him a high five as he happily jogged over.

“I’m awful at this,” Cas warned him.

Dean laughed. “It doesn’t matter. It’s just for fun.”

_ Yeah,  _ Cas thought,  _ Tell that to the rest of the class. _

Their team was up first to kick. Cas chatted away about his book while Dean watched the game and occasionally asked him questions. Three outs were made before they had to kick, to Cas’s relief. Being in the field wasn’t much harder. The other kids knew about Cas’s lack of athleticism, and arranged themselves to compensate. Dean actually scooped up the ball once, getting an out and earning the appreciation of the other kids.

Next they were up to kick again, and this time they would definitely get a turn. Soon they were to the front of the line. 

“Do you want to go first?” Dean offered.

“I’d rather prolong my torture, thank you very much,” Cas said.

“Come on, you can’t be that bad,” Dean protested.

“Oh yeah?” Cas said. “Fine.” He stepped up to the plate. 

“Oh no, look out!” Tony jeered. “Cassie’s up! Better watch out!”

Cas scrunched his face in determination. He would not screw up this time. The girl pitching threw the ball, and it rolled closer and closer.  _ I will not screw up _ , Cas thought.  _ I will not screw up I will not screw up I will not _ -

He swung his foot and promptly tripped over the ball, stumbling but managing to regain his footing before he fell. He turned red as everyone laughed and Tony called “Out!”. 

Cas passed Dean as walked back to the line. Dean was smirking, but it wasn’t a cruel I’m-laughing-at-you smirk. Cas managed to regain his dignity and smile back, muttering to Dean as he passed, “Try to beat that.”

Dean walked onto the field. Just before the girl pitched the ball, he looked Cas in the eye and winked. Cas watched, bewildered, as Dean swung his foot exaggeratedly and kicked the ball, causing his show to fly off in the process. There was a burst of laughter, but Dean wasn’t done. He took off, one foot with a shoe and one with a sock, to first base.

The shoe had arced through the air and landed just in front of home plate. The ball, however, had rocketed rapidly to the outfield. Dean rounded first and headed to second, and Cas jumped and cheered, not caring what anyone else thought. Dean raced to second as a boy scooped up the ball and threw it to the second basemen, who proceeded to drop the ball. Dean took off to third.

By now, Cas wasn’t the only one screaming for Dean. Their entire team was going nuts. Dean sprinted to third as the second basemen picked up the ball and threw it to the third basemen, who reached out to touch Dean. Dean leaped for the base, and landed safely on third.

A loud cheer roared from the team, but no one was cheering louder than Castiel. He grinned at Dean and Dean grinned back. On the next kick, Dean easily ran home, and retrieved his shoe. The other kids high fived him and slapped him on the back as he made his way over to Cas. Dean held out his fist, and Cas bumped it with his own.

“I think I beat you,” Dean said, leaning down to tie the laces on his shoe.

“I guess,” Cas said, as if it was close. Dean stood up and shoved him, and Cas lightly hit him back.

Soon the inning was over and they were back in the field. Cas was standing out between second and third base, not paying much attention. Suddenly, he heard Dean shout.

“Cas! The ball!” Cas glanced up and started. The ball was heading straight toward him, and there wasn’t time for anyone to run over and catch it for him. But there was no time to think. Instinctively, Cas put his arms out. As the ball got closer, he squeezed his eyes shut.

The ball bounced off his chest, just above where his open arms waited, and hit the ground. He scrambled after it. The other kids were screaming, but he didn’t look up. He dashed after the ball…

_ Wham! _ The next thing Cas knew, he was falling. He put his hands out to stop it, and he hit the ground on his hands and knees, his chin bumping the gravel painfully and glasses going flying.

“Watch where you’re going, Cassie,” he heard Tony say. Tears sprang to his eyes. He could feel blood dripping from his chin and his knees and hands were stinging. Blindly, he fumbled for his glasses, ignoring the gravel digging into his scraped palms. Suddenly, someone set his glasses gently in his hand. Cas slipped them on his face to find Dean offering him a hand, stony-faced.

_ This is it _ , Cas thought with a sinking feeling.  _ He’s finally noticed how much of a loser I am.  _ Dean pulled him to his feet, not looking at Cas. Cas flinched as Dean moved forward, but he walked right past Cas and faced Tony.

“Did you push him?” Dean asked, fists clenched. The class held its breath, watching.

“So what if I did?” Tony asked. “I did you a favor. You’re cooler than I thought. You don’t have to be friends with sissies anymore.” Tony offered his hand to Dean and Cas’s stomach clenched.

Dean looked at Tony’s hand. Slowly, he raised his gaze to Tony’s arrogant smirk. “He’s cooler than you’ll ever be,” Dean said, and he punched Tony in the face.

Cas gasped as Dean pulled back. Tony’s nose was bleeding. He slowly wiped the blood away and sneered at Dean, then looked at Cas. “Gee Cassie, tell your  _ boyfriend  _ to back off.”

“Dean, no,” Cas whispered and reached for his friend, but Dean launched himself at Tony. Cas stood there, blood flowing from his hands, knees, and chin, watching helplessly. Luckily, the teacher was already headed over, and he pulled the boys apart. 

“Winchester, Rigby, Novak. To the office. The rest of you, back to the game.”

The office? Cas had been called to the office once a year, to receive a perfect attendance award. He had never gone for anything bad. Oh god- his parents. They would be called. They would be  _ furious.  _ Cas felt sick all over again.

Dean walked next to him. He had a few bruises and a cut lip, but was otherwise unharmed. “Are you ok?” he asked quietly.

“Yes,” Cas said shortly. They walked the rest of the way in silence. When they arrived, the nurse gave Dean and Tony ice packs and a couple of Band-Aids, and sent them immediately to talk to the principal. Cas’s injuries required more attention. He winced as the kind nurse pulled the gravel out of his scrapes with tweezers. When he was finally all bandaged, he walked slowly back to the main office.

He couldn’t prolong it forever, however. He had taken long enough with the nurse that his parents were already there. And they did not look happy. Tony was sitting with a woman, presumably his mom, and Dean was nowhere in sight.

“Castiel, what is the meaning of this?” His mother asked angrily.

“I- I-” Cas stuttered. His hair fell into his eyes and he left it here to hide the tears in his eyes. Crying would only make it worse.

“Your father had to leave work for this!” She said, carefully to keep her voice down, lest anyone know that she was anything but perfect. Cas avoided looking at them.

“Fighting, Castiel?” His father asked. “We may have expected this from Lucifer, but from you?”

“Did you know this will be on your  _ permanent record _ ?” His mother asked. “That’s forever, Castiel!”

Tears rolled down Cas’s cheeks, but he stared stoically at the floor as his parents continued to chew him out. What seemed like an eternity later, with a “I must return to work,” from his father and a “There will definitely be consequences at home!” from his mother, they left.

Cas stumbled backward into a hard plastic chair, frantically wiping away his tears. A few seconds later, he heard someone plop down in a chair next to him.

“I made sure to tell them it wasn’t your fault,” Dean said quietly. Cas sniffled in response.

“Did it go well with your parents?” Dean asked.

Cas laughed. “Oh yeah, it went great. Once again, I’m a disappointment to the family. I’ll never amount to anything, they never would have got this trouble from my siblings, etcetera etcetera.”

“I’m sorry,” Dean said.

“Yeah, well, it’s a little too late for that,” Cas said angrily.

“Why are you so upset?” Dean asked, getting worked up. “Tony won’t mess with you anymore!”

“Yes he will!” Cas burst out. “It only makes things worse. And did you not hear anything I told you? All the kids at school hate me. I’m a disappointment to my family. I’ll never be anything but a disappointment.” 

“At least you have a family!” Dean jumped up. “My mom’s dead, and my drunk of a father will stumble home around midnight, and probably push me around for the fun of it!”

“What?” Cas asked, but Dean stormed off. Cas slumped farther down in the chair. Great. Now his only friend hated him, because he couldn’t stop to think. He had told Dean all about his family, not stopping to think about why Dean didn’t talk about his own. Stupid Castiel, always screwing things up. A disappointment.

“Castiel?” The secretary asked, breaking through his self-hatred. “It’s your turn to go in.” Cas sighed and got up, walking in to stand in front of the principal, who assured him that he knew Cas was the victim. Cas recounted his version of the story, trying to make it clear that Dean was only sticking up for him. Though Cas probably failed at that too. Finally, he was released. Since the bell was about to ring, Cas headed to his locker. 

Tony was getting his things a few lockers down, but Cas ignored him. He opened the locker and grabbed his backpack out. As he was shoving things in, Tony came to stand next to him.

“I hope your boyfriend got suspended. After all, he attacked me unprovoked.”

Cas stood up. He was angry at Dean, angry at Tony, angry at himself. “You know that’s not true!”

“That’s what all  _ my friends _ in our class will tell you,” Tony smirked. Cas whirled to face him. He understood what Dean did- Cas wanted to punch that smile off of Tony’s face, wanted to make Tony bleed as he had bled.

“I don’t care how many friends you have. I don’t care what you say, or what you do to me. I might even deserve it. But you _do not get to hurt Dean_. Do you hear me? He is not my boyfriend, but he’s my best friend, and you will not _speak_ to him. You will not _look_ at him. You will _leave. Him. Alone_! Do you hear me? Fuck,” Cas slammed the locker next to Tony, making him flinch. “Off.” 

Not stopping to see Tony’s reaction, Cas sprinted down the hallway. He had always been one of the fastest in his class. He ran out the doors and across the parking lot, to where Michael’s car was waiting. He slid into his seat and ignored his siblings glances as they drove off. Gabe cautiously slid Cas a lollipop, and tears sprang to Cas’s eyes. Michael silently pulled the car over by the side of the road. Then Luci crawled into the back seat between him and Gabe, and she held Cas as he cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awwww :( Poor Cas! But yay, more siblings!!


	4. Part 4: Stars

“Come back and tell me why

I'm feelin' like I've missed you all this time

And meet me there tonight

And let me know that it's not all in my mind”

**_Everything Has Changed,_ ** **Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran**

Castiel walked into school that morning feeling awful but determined. Sure, Tony would probably make his torture even worse, and sure, his only friend might never speak to him again, but before that happened Cas was going to make sure Dean knew just how sorry he was.

When he got to school, he sat down on a bench outside the school to wait for Dean. Nervously, he jiggled his leg up and down. What if Dean didn’t come today? What if he ignored Cas? Cas would be alone forever, never make another friend again…

_ Breathe _ , he told himself.  _ That’s not what’s going to happen.  _ Suddenly, he caught sight of someone walking toward the school. Even with his blonde head down, Cas recognized Dean. His stomach flipped.

“Dean!” he called, walking toward his friend. Dean glanced up at him, and his expression was unreadable.

“D-dean,” he said. Great, he was stuttering. He took a deep breath. “Dean, I’m… I’m sorry. I was, I...I was upset, and I know you, you were… sticking up for me and… and I’m sorry I didn’t know about your, your family and I ne-never asked. Anyway, I’m really,  _ really _ sorry and I hope we can be friends a-again but it’s...it’s...it’s ok if you don’t want to be,” Cas finished and stared down at his shoes, heart racing.

“Of course I still want to be friends,” Dean said, seeming a bit startled. “I shouldn’t have stormed off like that. And you don’t have to apologize for not knowing about,” he paused. “About my family. I never told you.”

Cas looked up at him, eyes wide. “You’re not mad? Really?”

Dean looked at him, green eyes meeting blue. “Really.” 

Cas grinned and threw his arms around Dean. Dean stiffened at first, but then gave a small laugh and hugged Cas back. After a few seconds, they drew back. Cas was blushing furiously. “Sorry,” he said.

Dean smiled back at him. “Quit apologizing. Now come on, we’re going to be late for school.” The boys walked into the building together, best friends once more.

* * *

“You’re going to be doing a project,” their teacher announced. “You’ll be in groups of two. Each group is going to pick a state to research, and you’ll make a poster about it.” The class buzzed excitedly, and one girl put her hand up. “Yes,” the teacher said. “You can pick your partner.”

Cas had a sudden sinking feeling. He hated group projects, because he always got stuck with whoever was unfortunate enough to not have a partner. But suddenly, he remembered. He wasn’t alone anymore. Excitedly, he whirled around in his seat and made eye contact with Dean, who sat in the back of the room.  _ Partners? _ Dean mouthed. Cas nodded back happily.

“Get with your partner, choose a state, and come tell me, because the states are first come, first serve.” Cas hopped up and went over to Dean in the back.

“So, what state should we choose?” Dean asked him.

“I was thinking we could just choose Kansas, but we’ll have to go up there fast,” Cas said. “Everyone will want it.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Dean asked. “I’ll go tell the teacher.” While Dean was gone, Cas caught Tony looking at him. He glared at Tony, and the boy quickly glanced away. Cas smiled.

“What are you smiling for?” Dean stared at Cas suspiciously. 

“Oh, nothing,” Cas said innocently, and Dean let it go.

“Our great state of Kansas is a go,” Dean reported.

“Great!” Cas said. “Now, I was thinking we could go to the library after school to check out some books about it or use the computers. I’ll have to call Michael, but I’m sure he’ll be fine with it.” He didn’t add that all his siblings were being extra nice to him after yesterday.

“That’s fine, but I’ll have to go get Sammy first. He won’t bother us, the kid loves libraries.” Dean shook his head. “You’re both weirdos.”

“Hey!” Cas protested. “It’s fine, I’d love to meet your brother. I’ll come with you.”

“You two will get along well,” Dean said. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.” Cas just smiled.

The rest of the day went by smoothly. Tony actually left them both alone, though whether it was because Dean beat him up or because Cas threatened him remained unknown. Cas felt surprisingly good, considering he had been prepared for a miserable day. He called Michael at lunch, and his older brother gave him permission to stay after school. However, he’d have to walk home if he got done before 5:30, which was when basketball practice ended. 

They walked through the school and downstairs to where the younger kids were. Cas shook his head, remembering when he was that young.

“Dean!” A small voice called. A little boy with floppy brown hair and a huge, gap-toothed smile ran over. 

“Hey Sammy!” Dean said, happier than Cas had ever seen him. He ruffled Sam’s hair affectionately. “This is Cas.”

Sam looked at Cas, who smiled at him. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Sam,” he said.

“Dean’s right,” Sam said, tilting his head. “You do talk funny.”

“Sam!” Dean admonished, turning red as Cas laughed.

“I think Dean’s right about another thing,” Cas said. “We’re going to get along great.” 

Dean shook his head, muttering something unintelligible. “Anyway, Sammy, we’ve got to do research for a project, so we’re going to go back to the library for a little bit. It won’t be for long, and you can just do your homework.”

“Ok!” Sam said. As they walked through the school, he chatted happily about his day. Cas found that he liked the little boy, and soon they were caught up in a conversation about their favorite books. Dean walked behind them, looking bemused.

“Go sit at a table, and we’ll be over soon,” Dean instructed Sam when they got to the library. 

“Fine, but I want to sit by Cas!” Sam said.

“Quit trying to steal my best friend!” Dean replied, shoving him good-naturedly. Sam pretended to pout and went over to the table.

Cas showed Dean how to use the Dewey Decimal System to find books about their state. Once they had a good number of them, they went and sat by Sam. The three of them studied together, helping each other and bantering happily. Cas found that Sam was indeed very smart for a first grader, but he also found that Dean was smarter than he gave himself credit for.

Around four o’clock, they were getting bored. “I think we should head home,” Cas said when he saw Dean staring at the wall. “Dean!” he said, snapping the boy out of it.

“Sorry,” Dean muttered. “Yeah, you’re right, we should get home.” They gathered up their books and papers, stuffing their backpacks full, and headed out.

“Which way’s your house?” Dean asked as they walked to the road. 

“That way,” Cas said, nodding his head to the right. “About a ten minute walk.”

“We’ll walk you home,” Dean decided. “You shouldn’t walk by yourself.”

“Which way’s your house?” Cas asked him, but Dean seemed not to hear him.

They chattered happily on the walk home about everything, and Cas realized he was a little disappointed when they got to his house. “Well,” he said, stopping in the driveway. “This is it.”

“Wow!” Sam said. “Your house is big!”

Dean and Cas both blushed. “I have three siblings,” Cas said, trying to shrug it off.

“See you tomorrow, Cas,” Dean said, taking Sam’s hand.

“See you tomorrow,” Cas replied. “Bye Sam! It was nice meeting you.”

“Bye!” Sam said as Dean led him away. 

  
  


A few days later, Cas was walking out of the school with Dean. “See you tomorrow,” he said, starting toward Michael’s car.

“Wait!” Dean said. He shoved a paper in Cas’s hand.

“Wha-” Cas started,

“Bye Cas!” Dean called, rushing away.

Cas opened the paper curiously.  _ Meet me in front of your house at 9 _ it said in Dean’s messy handwriting. Dean was asking him to sneak out? What in the world did he want to do at 9 at night? How was Cas supposed to  _ sneak out _ , without his parents noticing?

“Hurry up, Cassie!” Luci called. Cas quickly shoved the paper in his pocket before his siblings could see it, then he ran to the car.

All night, Cas was anxious. How was he supposed to sneak out? What if his parents caught him? What if his parents came into his room and he wasn’t there? What if there was a fire and the house burned down and they all thought he’d died in it? What if there was a tornado and they ran to his room to get him and he wasn’t there, and then the house fell down and they all died because they were trying to save him. What if…

“Cassie!” Gabe’s voice snapped Cas out of his cycle of worry. Looking around, he saw that everyone had already gotten up from the dinner table. 

“Oh!” he said, getting up and grabbing his plate. “Sorry.” Gabe looked at him curiously, and Cas’s heart hammered, certain that Gabe could guess what he was planning to do, his brother just went upstairs.

Cas’s ‘bedtime’ was at 8:30. He had always been mad about the fact that he still had a ‘bedtime’ at 10 years old, and that it was so early, but tonight he was grateful. His siblings were all required to be in their rooms before 9, so as long as Luci or Gabe didn’t decide to be stubborn tonight, he should be fine sneaking down the hall and out the front door.

He put on his pajamas, brushed his teeth, and climbed into bed. His dad came in and turned off the light at exactly 8:30, and Cas lay in the darkness, waiting. He watched the clock, which seemed to move slower with each passing minute. The ticks kept time with his pounding heart.

At 8:53, he heard Michael’s door shut. The oldest son would never disobey their parents. At 8:56, Gabe’s door shut. Under the covers, Cas crossed his fingers. Luci couldn’t choose tonight to raise a fuss.

8:57. No Luci. 8:58, still no Luci. 8:59… He breathed a sigh of relief as Luci’s door slammed.

Creeping out of bed, he threw on a sweatshirt over his pajamas. Changing completely was too risky if he got caught and had to make an excuse. 

His siblings were all in their room with their doors shut, and he easily snuck down the hallway and down the stairs. Now came the hard part. His parents, sitting on the couch, wouldn’t see him slip out the door if they didn’t get up. He tiptoed to the door and inched it open, wincing at each creak. Just a little farther...farther… Slipping through the tiny crack, heart pounding, he shut the door.

Turning to the street, he saw a figure illuminated under the streetlamp. “Cas!” Dean hissed. “Is that you?”

“It’s me!” Cas whispered back, his heart not slowing down one bit.

“Come on,” Dean said, a bit louder. 

“Where are we going? This is crazy!” Cas said, starting to panic.

“Cas,” Dean said. “Breathe.”

“Breathe, ok, I could breathe if I was  _ safe in my bed _ !” Cas hissed. His heart was still pounding, and his breath was shortening.

“Castiel,” Dean ordered. “Look at me.” Cas’s wide, panicked eyes snapped to Dean’s face. “Your parents will not catch you. We will be fine. I promise. Do you trust me?”

“Yes, but-”

“ _ Do you trust me _ ?”

Cas stared at him. “Yes.” His heart started slowing. He trusted Dean. If Dean said they’d be ok, they’d be ok.

“Now come on,” Dean said. “I have something cool to show you.”

“Where are we going?” Cas asked.

“Just to the park,” Dean replied. They walked through the darkness, which did nothing to make Cas feel better. He felt as if every shadow was someone jumping out to grab them, every noise was someone watching them. There was a rustling in the bushes. Cas jumped, terrified, and grabbed Dean’s hand.

“It’s just a cat,” Dean told him.

“Right, yes,” Cas said, calming down. They continued on, and Dean squeezed his hand comfortingly but didn’t let go.

They made it to the park, and Dean flopped down in the grass as he had done the day they had looked at the clouds.

“There’s supposed to be a meteor shower tonight,” Dean explained.

“Cool!” Cas said, lying down next to Dean. The grass was a bit damp, and though he was warm in his hoodie, he could feel Dean shivering. Carefully, he moved closer to Dean so they were pressed up against each other.

“Are you cold?” He asked.

“This is good,” Dean said, snuggling up against him. They lay there in silence for a bit, staring at the sky. Cas was happy, lying with his friend.

“There!” Cas shouted excitedly. A streak of light had burst across the sky. “Did you see it? A meteor!”

Dean laughed at his friend’s excitement. “I saw it.”

Cas made a face at Dean, though he couldn’t see it in the dark. Suddenly Dean cried out “Look!”

“Who’s excited now?” Cas teased.

“Shut up,” Dean said. “You-”

“There’s one!” Cas interrupted. They lay there for what felt like hours, curled up together so close that you couldn’t see where one of them ended and the other began, and watched the stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OHMYGOD THE LATEST EPISODE I'M STILL PROCESSING AND BY THAT I MEAN I HYPERVENTILATE EVERY TIME I THINK ABOUT IT


	5. Part 5: I Will Never Forget You

“All I know is a new found grace

All my days, I'll know your face

All I know since yesterday

Is everything has changed”

**_Everything Has Changed_ ** **, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran**

  
  


For the rest of the week, Castiel hung out with Dean and Sam in the library everyday after school. They worked on their project, but they also chatted and played games and joked around. Cas and Sam geeked out over books, and they even convinced Dean to read what they agreed was “The best book series  _ ever _ !”

They turned the project in that Friday, and they got an A. When Dean got the paper back he grinned at his friend, and Cas felt that if that smile was the last thing he ever saw, he would be happy.

That same night, Cas was lying in bed, thinking about his best friend and how he’d never been happier in his life, when he heard something hit his window. Glancing over, he saw nothing. He was on the second floor and there were no trees outside the house. Maybe a bird had flown into the glass?

Something small and hard hit the window with another  _ bang! _ Cautiously, Cas crept over and peered out the window, ready to duck back if another projectile was thrown. Looking down onto the yard, he saw a dark figure standing there. The figure waved its arms frantically at him, and Cas slowly opened the window, careful to avoid any loud sounds that would wake his family.

“Dean?” he hissed.

“Cas!” Dean called from down below. “Come here!”

“Dean, it’s almost 10! What are you doing?” Castiel was terrified that his parents would 

hear him and wake up.

“Cas, please!” Dean pleaded. “I need you.”

_ I need you. _ With those words, Cas knew it was a lost cause. Dean needed him. He couldn’t just go back to sleep.

“I’ll be down in a few seconds,” Cas whispered back. He carefully shut the window, threw on a sweatshirt over his pajamas, and tiptoed downstairs and out the door.

Dean was sitting on the front steps. When Cas came outside, he jumped up. “Cas!” His voice sounded funny. “Cas, Dad just- we have to-” he threw his arms around his friend.

“Dean? Are you alright?” Cas was worried now. Dean wasn’t usually much for hugs, and it sounded like he was close to tears.

“We’re leaving,” Dean said, sniffling into Cas’s shoulder. 

“You’re...what?” Surely he couldn’t mean for good? They were going on vacation or something.

Dean pulled back and stared at his friend stoically, but Cas could see that he was trying not to cry. “We’re moving. Dad’s done with the job in this town, and now we’re moving on.”

Cas’s world seemed to spin. “No,” he breathed. “Dean-”

“We’re leaving tomorrow,” Dean said numbly. “I snuck out; I had to tell you. I had to… to say goodbye.”

“Say goodbye,” Cas repeated, feeling his own tears coming. He met Dean’s brilliant green eyes. “You’re leaving.”

Dean stared back at him, meeting his unflinching gaze. “I’m leaving.”

Cas looked into the eyes of his best friend, who he loved more than himself. Who he might never see again. Breaking eye contact, he flopped to the ground. Dean sat next to him on the stair.

“You can’t leave,” Cas started, feeling the panic creep up on him. “You can’t.”

“God, Cas, do you think I want to?” Dean replied, his voice hollow. “This is what happens. We move to a new place, stay a few weeks until Dad finishes the job, then we move on. I just-” he took a deep breath. “I’ve never gotten attached to a place before. I’ve never had anyone who made me want to stay.”

Cas looked at Dean. He had always thought that he was too dorky for Dean, that Dean could’ve been cool and popular. He never understood why Dean chose him. But while Dean had been his first real friend...he had been Dean’s first real friend too. 

“I’ll miss you so much,” Cas said, his heart aching.

“Me too,’ Dean said. They were sitting side by side, heads turned to face each other. They had been close before, like the night they curled up together and watched the stars, but Cas had never  _ felt  _ this close to Dean. He could feel Dean’s breath mixing with his, and suddenly Dean leaned in, and he was getting even closer. Cas drew in a breath to say something, and then Dean’s lips were on his.

It wasn’t like the kisses in all the books Cas had read. It was clumsy and awkward. It lasted approximately two seconds. But for those two seconds, Dean’s lips were on his and his lips were on Dean’s, and all his sadness melted away.

Dean pulled back and stared at Cas. Cas stared right back, speechless.

“I-” They both started at the same time. Then they both laughed awkwardly. 

“You go first,” Cas said, heart pounding.

“I brought this,” Dean said, pulling out  _ The Homework Machine _ . “I really wanted to finish it with you, before I leave.”

“Yeah,” Cas said. “Yeah, I do too.”

“What were you going to say?” Dean asked.

“Nothing,” Cas said. “Let’s read.” And they sat there, on Cas’s front steps, the book illuminated by the glow of the porch light. They took turns reading, page by page, until they had forgotten that the rest of the world existed at all.

* * *

  
  


Cas opened his eyes, blinking at the light streaming in from the window. Glancing at the clock, he realized that it was earlier than he usually woke up on Saturday mornings. He needed to do something this morning...what did he need to do? There was something important…

He shot up in bed. Dean.

Quickly, he pulled on the first clothes he could find and slipped on his shoes. He knew that his parents would kill him for leaving without telling them, but he didn’t care. He needed to see Dean one more time before he lost his friend for good.

Dean and Sam had always walked him home, so he had never seen where they lived, but he knew it was in a motel at the edge of town. Hopping on his bike, he pedaled as fast as he could in that direction, praying that they hadn’t left.

When his bike pulled up outside the motel, he saw Sam throwing a bag into a car. The little boy’s face broke into a grin when he saw him. “Cas!” Sam cried, running up to him and giving him a huge hug.

“Hello Sammy,” Cas said, squeezing the younger boy.

“I’m gonna miss you Cas,’ Sam said, tears welling up in his eyes.

“I’ll miss you too, Sam,” Cas said, his heart breaking again.

“Cas?” A voice he would recognize anywhere rang out. “What are you doing here?”

“Dean,” Cas said, letting go of Sam. “I- I couldn’t let you leave without saying goodbye, one last time.”

“Sam, get in the car,” Dean said. He looked at Cas, his face blank. “You shouldn’t have come.”

“Dean, I-” Cas blinked in confusion. “I’m sorry.”

“No, Cas, don’t be sorry,” Dean said in frustration. “I wanted to see you again too. But if my dad sees you here, it won’t be good.”

“I’ll be fast,” Cas promised. “I just...I’ll miss you so much.”

“I’ll miss you even more,” Dean said, his voice breaking.

“I wish we didn’t have to say goodbye,” Cas said, tears rolling down his cheeks. 

“I’ll find you again,” Dean said. “When I’m 16, and I can drive. I’ll come back.”

“Not if I find you first,” Cas said. “I’m older, remember.”

“Like you’d let me forget it,” Dean chuckled.

“Dean!” A deep voice called. “Get your ass in the car!”

Dean looked panicked. “I have to go. I’m sorry, Cas.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Cas said. “Just...don’t forget about me.”

“I could never forget about you, Castiel Novak.”

“I’ll never forget you, Dean Winchester.”

“Dean!” Dean’s father yelled again. “Time to go!”

“Bye,” Dean whispered. Cas watched him walk back to the car, openly crying now. It wasn’t fair. He’d only gotten a few weeks with Dean. Dean was almost to the car when he suddenly whipped around. He sprinted back to Cas and threw his arms around him.

Cas squeezed his friend, feeling Dean’s tears wet his jacket. He clung to the familiar leather jacket, the one Dean wore everyday. He had worn it on the first day at school, when he had given Cas half of his lunch, even though he didn’t have much. He had been wearing it when they had swung so high they had almost touched the clouds. He had worn it every day they sat pressed together, reading or playing games or just talking.

He had been wearing it last night, when he had kissed Cas goodbye.

Dean broke away all too soon. Cas wanted to keep holding his friend forever, but he knew he had to let go. He watched Dean climb into the car next to Sam. The car pulled out of the parking space, and Sam turned around and waved frantically at Cas. Cas waved back, a watery smile on his face. Dean never turned around, but Cas didn’t blame him. He wanted to keep that hug as his last memory of his friend.

Cas stayed in the parking lot, watching the car until it was almost out of sight. Only then did Dean turn around, and Cas caught one last glimpse of his friend before the car shrunk into another speck on the horizon.

Castiel pictured his best friend’s face in his mind, and he made a promise. “I will never forget you, Dean Winchester.”


	6. SEQUEL

Hey! So...I'm writing a sequel!!!!

It's called _You Belong With Me_ , and it takes place six years later. Dean moves back to town (!!!) and Cas has never forgotten his first best friend. Fights! Friends! Homecoming! Cas has anxiety (because I can't help but project myself onto him...oops)! Dean and Cas struggle with sexuality! Possibly some Benny/Dean!? Luci is now an ADULT badass lesbian queen! Everyone is gay in the end! Cas and Dean both have awful families! Lots of pain because it's supernatural! Also because I want to re-create the confession scene in this universe!

Well that was a horrible summary. I guess you just have to read it... :)

I didn't write this much on the actually summary for the fic, but you guys have been here since I started this one so I thought I'd give you the inside scoop onto what's going to happen... Shhhhhh don't tell anyone.

I'm going to shut up now, but go! read! it! you! won't! be! disappointed! (hopefully)!

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo...? 
> 
> As you can see, I love sibling relationships (probably because I have a shit ton of siblings). And I've read enough fics where Cas's siblings don't accept him and go along with his parents. So here's one where the siblings are united and together and it's so fucking cute!
> 
> I suddenly decided to make Lucifer a girl, and I am so glad I did! Luci is a badass lesbian queen! 
> 
> One final note: please don't spoil anything in any comments. Not just the new season, because I'm literally only on season 5.


End file.
